Book Reviews by ICAN

A Good Birth, A Safe Birth : Choosing and Having the Childbirth Experience You Want

lncooper — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:21:53 -0800

Thorough, sensible, and extremely well organized, these knowledgeable authors cover topics of pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum care for mother and child in an accessible, very easy-to-follow format. The authors present clear-headed information on everything from finding a birth attendant to questions for the hospital to understanding your feelings about it all.

Active Birth

lncooper — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:00:08 -0800

As the title implies, this book is about staying active in childbirth. Going beyond simply stating the importance of being active, this book goes into great detail about HOW to be active, including detailed descriptions, illustrations, and even showing how your birth partner can support and encourage an active birth.

An Easier Childbirth : A Mother's Guide for Birthing Normally

lncooper — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:15:04 -0800

An informative and extremely practical guide that makes childbirth a rewarding experience. The tools provided in An Easier Childbirth simplify this process. Peterson describes techniques for coping with pain, including relaxation and visualization. She explains the importance of having realistic expectations and discusses how mother, baby, and family can bond together following the birth. The book also includes invaluable material on physical exercises, the natural flow of labor, and ideas for transforming fear.

Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife

lncooper — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:33:40 -0800

In a joyous, often hilarious ode to the Birkenstock-scuffling, tackle box-toting mobile midwives who flourished in the 1980s, Peggy Vincent chronicles her abundant life as a professional Baby Catcher. Like the most courageous home births, this collection of birth experiences refuses anesthesia: plenty of bellowing, sweating, bleeding, and pushing accompany nearly all of the more than 40 tales. Tough confrontations with stubborn physicians, panicky labor partners, and one particularly nasty calico cat are dabbed with as many keen insights as Vincent’s quieter, more heart-rending newborn encounters.

Birth After Cesarean: The Medical Facts

lncooper — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:08:22 -0800

Although this book is out-dated, this question-and-answer format book still speaks true to the fact that vaginal birth after cesarean is a safe option that women have the right to choose for themselves.

Birth As an American Rite of Passage

lncooper — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:17:29 -0800

"Whether you are a proponent of ‘natural’ or ‘prepared’ childbirth, Davis-Floyd’s exhaustive look at the rituals of the modern hospital variety is eye-opening and informative at least, and at best a call to action." Tara Aronson, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

Birth Your Way

lncooper — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:37:02 -0800

As research discloses the risks of intensively managed hospital birth, increasing numbers of women are considering alternatives. This new updated edition of Sheila Kitzinger’s pioneering work gives them the facts. Highly informative yet sensitively written, and supported by firsthand accounts of women’s personal experiences of birth, this is the essential guide for every woman considering her options.

Birthing from Within : An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation

lncooper — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:19:42 -0800

This holistic approach to childbirth examines this profound rite-of-passage not as a medical event, but as an act of self-discovery. Exercises and activities such as journal writing, meditation, and painting are designed to help mothers analyze their thoughts and face their fears during pregnancy. A wonderful resource for women planning for a new birth, or for women looking to do some emotional work on healing from a past birth experience.

Birthing the Easy Way. . . by Someone Who Learned the Hard Way

lncooper — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:01:56 -0800

Told by a REAL professional- not a doctor, not a midwife, but a mother herself. Besides a few typographical and grammatical errors, this book is an easy read in which the author talks about her journeys in birth and parenting. Many women who have read the book admit to frequently laughing out loud, crying, and nodding in agreement as the author tells it like it is.

Born in the USA- How a Broken Maternity System Must be Fixed to Put Women and Children First

lncooper — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:17:31 -0800

Highly respected with excellent credentials, Dr. Wagner takes a look at the trends in birthing interventions and their ramifications. With the epidemic of interventions, inductions, cesarean sections, and against-label use of Cytotec, along with the lack of access to midwifery care, this book gives an insightful critique of the multiplying interferences in birth in America today.

Cesarean Recovery

lncooper — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:37:23 -0800

Covering the basics of what to expect during a cesarean, this book gives great details and tips about what to expect afterwards. Along with breastfeeding information, it also breaks down what to expect, and some suggestions on what you can do, during the first days and weeks of cesarean recovery.

Cesarean Voices

lncooper — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:11:09 -0800

Cesarean mothers tell their stories and feelings of loss, pain, anger, sadness and more in their very own words. A very emotional read, this compilation shows that a cesarean section surgery is not just another way to have a baby, and that how the mother feels about her experience does matter.

Don't Cut Me Again! True Stories About Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

lncooper — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:18:06 -0800

This compilation of true stories of VBAC as told by the mothers themselves show the challenges often faced by mothers having to fight for their right to give birth vaginally. This book can be useful in preparing for the conflicts that VBAC moms often face, and many women who have read this book claim that they learned a lot about the importance of finding truly supportive care providers, positive support, and being critical in choosing their place of birth for their VBACs.

Expectant Parent's Guide to Preventing a Cesarean Section

lncooper — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:43:28 -0800

At the writing of this book, 1 in 4 babies were born by cesarean section surgery- today, that number is 1 in 3 babies. Most women who have a cesarean suffer pain and disappointment and search out ways to avoid the experience again. Filled with authoritative and practical information, this book points the way toward safe and positive vaginal birth for both first-time and post-cesarean parents.

Gentle Birth Choices

lncooper — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:38:38 -0800

In Gentle Birth Choices, Barbara Harper (nurse, former midwife, and mother of three) helps parents to plan a meaningful, family-centered birth experience. The DVD blends interviews with midwives and physicians and shows six actual births, including water birth, home birth, and vaginal birth. A powerful instructional tool for expectant parents, midwives, hospitals, birth centers, and doctors.